The Brave Ravenclaw
by She-who-loves-fanfiction
Summary: When Lira Munns goes to work with her incredibly boring Uncle Robert, she expects her day to be as boring as watching paint dry. No, worse. Watching GREY paint dry. However Lira is not one to do as she's told, and wanders off. When an accident in the Department of Mysteries sends her back in time, she arrives in a familiar living room in October, 1981...AU, not canon. Sequel to BbB
1. Curiousity killed the cat

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. It's a surprise, I know.  
A/N: Hiya! Now, some important stuff before we start. This story is a sequel to my other story 'Broken but Beautiful', however you DO NOT have to read it to read this one. If you like James and Lily fanfics, that one will probably good for you. The two stories ARE linked.  
A/N 2: This story is NOT canon, it is AU. Just so that you're aware. It is a bit slow at the start, but it becomes more fast-paced as you go on.  
I also like reviews. A lot. And reviews make me update faster. Just so you know.  
Enjoy! xx**

The streets outside the Ministry of Magic were bustling with people, as usual, on Monday the 14rd of December 1995, so no one noticed the curious pair walking purposefully towards the visitor's entrance. The first of the pair was a rather dull wizard by the name of Robert Livingstone. Robert, known affectionately as Robbie by precisely no one, was dressed all in grey; grey trousers, a grey coat, shiny grey shoes and a smart grey flat cap. In fact, if he had laid down on the floor at that very moment, he would have blended exceedingly well with the grey pavement. Now, Mr Livingstone loved two things in his exceptionally ordinary life; his job, and his sister.

His job was the kind of the boring job that no one can remember the name of, and if you asked his beloved sister what it was, she would respond with a graceful shrug and the answer of "It's something to do with money." However, Mr Livingstone loved his job that was something to do with money, and, to his credit, did it extremely well.

His sister, two years younger than him, was a pretty, well-connected witch with a lovely house, a rich Muggle husband, and a clever, obedient daughter. So when Robert was asked to look after his niece for a day while her mother and father went on a business trip, he happily accepted, sure that the quiet, unassuming girl would be no trouble at all. One thing he was not banking on, however, was the girl's curiosity.

So that brings us onto the second person of the pair, Mr Livingstone's niece, who was a bright fourteen year old girl by the name of Lira Munns. While her uncle was dressed in varying shades of grey, Lira was wearing a bright purple coat, navy jeans and a white blouse and that, combined with her white-blond hair, made her very eye-catching indeed. It was cold, so Lira pulled her coat more firmly around her as she struggled to keep up with her uncle's long strides.

"Uncle Robert, where are we going?"  
"To my work, dear."  
"What do you work as?"  
"It's something to do with money, dear, you wouldn't understand."  
At this, Lira scowled. She was in Ravenclaw at Hogwarts, and had come top in most of her classes, so she thought, quite rightly, that she would most likely understand, but decided to leave it. Hopefully she would find out later.

The pair climbed into a battered old telephone box, and Robert pressed several keys on the graffiti-covered keypad, looking slightly repulsed at its condition. A few seconds later, the box shuddered, and began to sink into the ground, landing in a large tiled atrium. "Is this the Ministry of Magic, Uncle Robert?"  
"Yes, dear."  
"What floor do you work on?"  
"Level five, dear. Now, no more questions, if you don't mind. I need to concentrate."  
Lira found that she most definitely _did_ mind, and couldn't understand why Uncle Robert would need to concentrate to get to a place that he went to every day, but she wanted to see more of the Ministry, and she didn't want to get in trouble with her mother for antagonising Uncle Robert.

Her uncle led her over to a miraculously empty lift, and she stepped in as her uncle pressed a button. The lift flew backwards quite suddenly, and Lira stumbled, falling against the wall of the lift. After barely a moment of being thrown around, the lift flew forwards and halted abruptly, so that Lira stumbled forwards.  
A cool voice sounded in the lift, and the doors slid silently open.  
"Level Five, Department of International Magical Cooperation, incorporating the International Magical Trading Standards Body, the International Magical Office of Law and the International Confederation of Wizards, British seats."

"This way, dear."  
Lira followed her uncle as they walked up a long corridor to a grey door labelled, "Trade Finances." Lira marvelled as Robert fumbled in the pocket for the key to the room; the door was exactly the same shade of grey as her uncle's coat. They entered the cramped office, which was the size of a roomy broom cupboard, and her uncle removed his hat and coat, hanging them on a tarnished hook on the wall. Lira knew that if every man had a castle, this office would be Uncle Robert's. He took immense pride in the fact that he had an office to himself, and would spend half an hour every time he came into work straightening the things on his desk, in case anyone came in. This was in vain, however, because Lira was the only person other than Robert to have entered the office, if I can call it that, since he had got the job.

Lira sat down on the floor as Mr Livingstone sat on his desk chair and began to write on a sheet of parchment, evidently thinking hard.  
After a second, Lira began to fidget.  
"Umm…Uncle Robert?"  
"Yes dear?"  
"I…kind of, umm…may I use the toilet?"  
The 46 year old flushed slightly at the question.  
"Of course, dear, there are public toilets on Level 8, or maybe it's Level 9…"  
"I'll ask someone for directions if I get lost!" Lira said quickly, desperate to leave the stuffy office.  
"That's a good girl. Off you go then."  
Mr Livingstone waved his hand at her, and she turned and ran down the corridor, occasionally slowing to avoid bumping into people.

She hopped into the same lift that they had used to get to the floor, and hesitated over the buttons. After a moment, she punched the number nine button and rose up on her tip-toes to hold onto the support as the lift began to move. When the lift stopped, the door slid open, and the cool voice sounded again.  
"Level Nine. The Department of Mysteries."

Now, in this position, most people would assume that they had gone to the wrong floor and go to level eight. However Lira, being a naturally curious and adventurous person, was filled with excitement at the name of the floor, and stepped out of the lift. The floor was dimly lit, and as she walked cautiously forward, Lira was reminded of a scolding she'd received from her mother after opening the medicine cupboard after explicitly being told not to.

"Curiosity killed the cat," her mother had said, and she remembered what she had responded:  
"But satisfaction brought it back."  
The memory comforted her slightly, despite the memory not being the happiest one, and she continued to walk towards the intriguing-looking door. When she reached it, she tried to push it open, then shook her head; there was no way it would open that easily. Reaching for her wand, Lira waved it, whispering the Opening Spell, but it still didn't open. Lira had just given up, when it creaked open. Stepping inside hesitantly, she realised that she was surrounded by doors, and picked the one directly on her left, because, as everyone knows, left is always best.

Surprised at the lack of security, she pushed it open and stepped inside, jumping slightly as the door slammed shut behind her. A bit nervous now, she pulled her wand out, despite her mother's warning about underage magic and the Trace, and turned around to look at the room.

Clocks. That was what covered the walls. Hundreds and hundreds of clocks. Grandfather clocks, pocket watches, wrist watches, and wall clocks. Absolutely everywhere. Lira stepped forward, the constant ticking grating on her nerves, and watched, in awe, at the life cycle of a hummingbird, which was playing on repeat, in an enormous bell jar. After she had watched it a few times, she stretched and walked over to a massive cabinet, filled with delicate, beautifully engraved hourglasses on chains.  
 _Time turners_ , she thought; her mother had one for her job.  
Pulling the door open gently, she ran her index finger along the labels of the shelves. Each one was a date, and they all corresponded with a certain time turner. Fighting with the sense that she was breaking the law just by being here, Lira carefully picked up a time turner that was hidden behind lots of others, and bent down to read the label.  
28 _th October, 1981.  
14 Wulfric Close, Godric's Hollow._

The sound of footsteps shook Lira out of her reverie, and she straightened up quickly, panicking. If she tried to exit through the door that she came in, she'd bump into whoever was coming and could get arrested, but there were no places to hide in the Time Room, so she couldn't hide. Being a smart girl, she knew that her best option was to put everything down, deny that she touched anything, and say that she got lost on her way to the bathroom. It was then that Lira also realised how much she needed to go to the toilet.

The footsteps were getting louder, and Lira muttered a quick apology to Uncle Robert as she stuffed her wand in her pocket and bent down to put the Time Turner back in its rightful place.

Now, Lira Munns was not necessarily _unlucky_ person, and since her mother didn't believe in luck, Lira Munns had never really thought that she was unlucky. However what happened as she reached to put that Time Turner back was most definitely _bad luck_. As she reached over, her fingers slipped, and the Time Turner began to spin.

The frightened girl gave a loud shriek as the Time Turner spun, faster and faster, the world around her spinning too. Lira got the feeling that she was flying backwards, very fast, and the word around her was just blurs of colour. Her eyes hurt, so she closed them, and when she opened them again, she was most definitely _not_ still in the Time Room. Lira watched in horror as the Time Turner crumbled to dust in her hand, and then looked up as she heard a gasp.

Standing in an unfamiliar living room, in front of Lira were a man and a woman. The woman had red hair, and startlingly green eyes, and was holding a baby with the same spiky black hair as the man.  
"Hello," Lira said faintly. "May I use your toilet?"

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	2. Irritatingly Camera-ready

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. It's a surprise, I know.  
A/N: Thank you for the response to the first chapter, and I just want to clear something up! You can read this while reading Broken but Beautiful, as there are no major spoilers! Thank you! Keep reviewing! Use exclamation marks!  
Enjoy xx**

It took the two people in the living room a long time to speak, and when they did, it wasn't exactly proper words that they uttered.  
"I…you…what… _how_?" The woman asked, and Lira bit her lip.  
"Well, it's kind of hard to explain…I was with my Uncle Robert…"  
"Your Uncle Robert? What? Who _are_ you and what are doing in my house?"  
" _Our_ house, James." The woman corrects, and she peers at me thoughtfully. "So who are you, and what are you doing here?"  
"My name is Lira Munns, I'm fourteen years old, and I'm a w-oh, I might not be able to-"  
"It's ok, we're magical too, just go on." The man interrupted her impatiently.  
"I was in the Ministry with my Uncle Robert because my mum and dad are on a business trip, and I needed the toilet, and my uncle said that the toilets were on level nine. The thing is, they're not, and level nine is actually where the Department of Mysteries is. And I…well…I went to have a look around, hoping that there actually were toilets there and I found a room, and it was full of clocks, and there were Time Turners. I had a look at them, and then I heard someone coming, so I panicked and I must have spun it when I tried to put it back…oh Merlin… What year is it?"  
"It's 1981. What year did you think it was?"  
"Oh no…no no no…I can't…and the time turner…it…it…"

Lira was now as a white as a sheet, and the woman was starting to look concerned.  
"Are you alright?"  
"Not really, no."  
The woman sat down on the sofa, and tucked her long hair behind her ears.  
"Well, I'm Lily, and that's my husband, James, and our son Harry. Did you say that your name was Lira?"  
"Yeah, Lira Munns."  
"And are you feeling okay?"  
Lira was so surprised by Lily's concern that it took a moment for her to answer.  
"I think so, just a bit…shocked."  
The man, who was called James, waved his wand in her general direction and nodded.  
"There're no concealment charms on her, nothing to hide her identity."  
"I promise you, I'm telling the truth, and I need to get back to the Ministry."  
"We can take you to the Ministry." Lily said, despite her husband's outraged look.  
"No, I need to go to the Ministry in _my_ time."  
"In _your_ time?"  
Lira took a deep breath, preparing to tell her story.  
"My name is Lira Munns and I was born on the 19th of July, _this year_. The Time Turner, it must have sent me back in time, and now the Time Turner's gone, so I can't go back…"  
The poor girl was getting more and more agitated as she explained her predicament, and James' intense gaze softened slightly as his wife put her arm around the girl's shoulders.

"Ok, Lira, this is what we're going to do. Tomorrow morning, I will take you to Dumbledore, I'm guessing you know him?"  
"Yeah, he's the Headmaster at Hogwarts, my school."  
James sat down next to Lira on the sofa, holding Harry tightly.  
"What house are you in?"  
"Ravenclaw." Lira smiled weakly, and then she looked up at Lily, obviously sensing a kindred spirit. "But what am I going to do until then?"  
"You can sleep here for the night, and we'll go and see Dumbledore tomorrow, and we can see if he can send you home."  
"Thank you. Thank you so much."  
"Don't worry about it. Now we'll-"  
A loud knocking on the door cut off what she was about to say, and James stood up, handing Harry to his mother, to go and see who it was.

Harry, being a baby, did the first thing that a baby will do when presented with a new person; grabbed her hair. Lira smiled down at him, gently extracting her hair from his firm grip, and Lily, being the trusting person that she was, picked him up and held him out to the girl.  
"Do you want to hold him?"  
Lira smiled so widely that Lily thought her face might split in two.  
"Ooooh, yes please!"  
Lily handed the baby over, and he grabbed at Lira's white-blonde hair, chuckling in the cute way that babies do when something amuses them.  
"Hello, Harry, hello, hello, hello! I'm Lira."  
"Lee-ra!"  
"Yes, Harry, I'm Lira!"  
"Mama! Lee-ra!" He was now waving his little hands at the grinning fourteen year old.  
"Yes, Harry, Lee-ra!"  
"He's lovely." Lira muttered shyly, and his mother smiled.  
"Thank you."

"Where's my favourite flower?"  
A friendly voice sounded in the hallway, and Lily, knowing who it was, stood up and laughed.  
"I'm in here, Sirius."  
"And my godson? James hasn't lost him again, has he?"  
Lily laughed, and as she did, a man came around the corner and stepped into the living room. He was tall, taller than Lira, so she looked up from Harry to peer at him curiously.  
Now, Lily knew what Sirius looked like, but Lira didn't, and neither do you, so I'll describe him for you.  
Sirius Black was a well-built man with long dark hair, and an air of casual elegance that Lira was instantly jealous of. This was a man that could go for a swim in the Black Lake, get attacked by a werewolf and get caught in hurricane, and still look like he had stepped out of the pages of a fashion magazine. Unknown to Lira, Sirius had actually done two of those things, and irritatingly, looked just as camera-ready after both of those experiences.

Sirius crossed the living room in three strides and pulled Lily into a bear hug that made Lira wonder how her ribs were still intact. The man then proceeded to let go of Lily, kiss her on the forehead, and turn to speak to his godson, who was, rather adorably, trying to call out to him.  
"Pad-foo! Pad-foo! Lee-ra, Pad-foo!"  
At the unfamiliar name, 'Pad-foo' peered at the blonde curiously.  
"Hello. Don't mean to be rude, but who are you?"  
"I'm Lira. Lira Munns."  
Lira, unbeknownst to Sirius, was quite intimidated by this bear of a man, and shrunk backwards slightly into the sofa, like it would swallow her up if she pressed against it hard enough. Sadly for her, it didn't, and Sirius was very confused.

"OK, Lira Munns, what you doing here?"  
"I…umm…well…it's a long story."  
"Well, I've got a while."  
"She broke into the Department of Mysteries by accident and accidentally sent herself back in time and she needs to go to Dumbledore but right now she's staying here."  
Lily summed up quickly, sitting next to her husband on the enormous armchair next to the window.  
"Right." Sirius still looked confused, and Harry, growing impatient, grabbed at his beloved godfather's hair and gave it a sharp tug.  
"Pad-foo!"  
"Yes, yes, sorry, Harry, I'm not ignoring you."  
Sirius gently plucked Harry out of Lira's arms and tousled his hair.  
"So, you broke into the Department of Mysteries? The most heavily fortified part of the Ministry?"  
"By accident!" Lira added hurriedly, and Sirius laughed.  
"How old are you, anyway?"  
"I'm fourteen."  
"What year were you born?"  
"July this year. Lily said she'd take me to see Dumbledore to see if I can go back."  
"That's _insane_. How come you were at the Ministry anyway?"  
"Well, it was all because of my Uncle Robert."  
"Your Uncle Robert?"  
"Yeah. It's all his fault, really."  
"Pad-foo! Lee-ra!"  
The one-year old was getting agitated now.  
Sirius looked down at him, frowning and said, "What's up, Harry?", like Harry was going to answer him in full sentences. Harry, being a rather sensible baby, decided to try to communicate with his mother, who seemed to be the smartest of all of the adults present. "Mama, Lee-ra!" He then held out his chubby little hands for emphasis. Lily cocked her head at him, and James shrugged.  
"What does he want?"  
"You're his mother, you find out!"

Lily smacked James on her arm, and Lira had an idea. Holding out her hands, she bent down slightly and held her arms out.  
"Harry? Do you want to come to Lira?"  
"Lee-ra!" Harry cried happily; finally, someone understood what he was trying to say, and snuggled up on her lap, dribbling on her clean white blouse. Not that Lira mind, of course, but she couldn't help but wonder what her mother would say when she had to wash baby drool out of her daughter's favourite blouse.

The three adults began talking about an Order, and Lira had the feeling that they weren't talking about ordering food, which was a shame, because she really was getting hungry. They mentioned You-Know-Who a couple of times, but Sirius would replace what he called him with ridiculous alternatives that made Lira and Lily giggle, like Snakeface and Evil Knievel and No-I-don't-know- _who_.

Meanwhile, back at the Ministry, Robert Livingstone was starting to twig that something was wrong. His niece hadn't returned for almost an hour, and while he knew that she could take care of herself, going to the toilet couldn't take _that_ long, and she was sensible enough to ask for help if she needed it. So Mr Livingstone reached for his quill, and fished in his drawer for the template memo he had been given on his first day. He had never needed to use it, so it was dusty, its purple colouring slightly faded, and the 46 year old wasn't sure if he could remember the spell to activate it. His quill hovering the parchment, it was then that Robert realised that other than his boss, he knew no one to send the memo to and so trying to send a memo would be pointless. A loud, out-of-place voice sounded, as if outside his door, and Mr Livingstone jumped, although he knew that it was simply the overhead magical announcement system that was used in emergencies. It had a message, and the message was urgent.

"An intruder has been detected in the Department of Mysteries."  
It was then that Robert Livingstone realised that his little niece, Lira Munns, wasn't quite so little and obedient after all.

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	3. James Potter, Auror extraordinaire

**Disclaimer: My initials are not even close to JKR.  
Thank you to Joy, Azzurrolunali, the anonymous guest, TheTaleOfTheScribbler and uspirorox for reviewing. Let's see if we can get to ten reviews for the third chapter! Thanks!  
Enjoy xx **

"No! Lee-ra! Dada, Lee-ra!"  
Harry was doing his very best to explain his predicament to his father, but with his rather limited set of vocabulary, he wasn't getting anywhere.  
"Dada! No bed! Broom!"  
Harry started spouting all of the words that he knew, in the hope that someone would understand. "Dinner! Mama! Pad-foo! 'Oony! Broom! Lee-ra! Dada, LEE-RA!"  
It was no use, however, because James just mistook the exasperation for tiredness, and decided to take the toddler up to bed.  
"MAMA! MAMA! LEE-RA! PAD-FOO! MAMA! DADA! LEE-RA! NO BED!"  
Harry was misunderstood once again, however, and was plopped unceremoniously in his cot, kissed on the forehead, and told that it was bedtime. Harry disagreed, as it was still light outside, but he didn't know enough words to say that yet.

Lily had turned on the television, and there was a game show on, so Lira tried to watch it, to distract herself.  
 _"And, Mr Shelby, here are your last three questions. Remember, now, if you get all three of these right, you could win ten thousand pounds!"  
_ The Mr Shelby in question did not look particularly smart, and he didn't look like he needed that ten thousand pounds, if his gold plated watch was anything to go by.  
 _"Question One! Which of these animals are extinct in the UK? A, Robins, B, Wolves, or C, Sheep?"  
_ "Wolves." Lira muttered, biting her nails, and Lily looked over at her from the table, where the three of them were still discussing the mysterious 'Order'.  
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Lira, I didn't even offer you a drink. What do you want? Tea? Coffee?"  
Lily flicked her wand, so that each time one of the beverages visible, and Lira smiled nervously. "Just some water would be great, thank you."

A cup of water appeared in Lira's hand, and she smiled gratefully at Lily before turning her attention back to the television.  
 _"Question Two! What is the brightest star visible in the Northern Hemisphere? Is it A-"  
_ "It's Sirius, right?" The man in question interrupted, and Lira grinned as that was, in fact, the answer. _  
"And lastly, Mr Shelby, question 3! What is the name of the Turkish currency? Is it A, Franks, B, Lira, or C, Pounds? Now, remember, the questions' answers are all either A, B or C, and you have to pick the correct letter. Do you have your answer?"  
_ "B." Lira smiled, sipping her water, and rolled her eyes at the cocky contestant.

 _"I know this."  
"You do, Mr Shelby?"  
"Yes, I'm quite certain. The Turkish currency is obviously Franks, the brightest star that I've ever seen is Regulus, and for question one, when have ever seen a robin in Britain?"  
_"Ah, yes, but when have you ever seen a _wolf_ in Britain, Mr Shelby?" Lira grinned at her own comment, and to her surprise, Lily laughed. It was a light, clear laugh, a pretty sound.  
 _"I'm sorry, Mr Shelby, but the answer was B! You were so close!"  
_ "Close? _Close?_ He picked the wrong letter! The only way he could have further away would be by saying that the answer was _D_!"  
 _"Join us next week for more thrilling quizzes to test our contestants' knowledge. I'm Norman Drinkwater, and this was Three Letters! Thank you and goodnight!"_

Lira smiled at the absurd names, and James stood up from the table.  
"So, Lira, have you heard of us in your time?"  
"I'm sorry?"  
"Are we famous? James Potter, Auror extraordinaire!"  
James waved his hand as if waving to a cheering crowd, and his wife grabbed him from behind, so that he stumbled backwards with a loud 'oof!' Lira, however, sat down on the sofa again, eyes wide.  
"You're James Potter? And you're Lily Potter?"  
"Told you we'd be famous, honey." James smirked and Lily rolled her eyes.  
"And you're Sirius…Sirius…"  
"Sirius Black, love."  
"Sirius Black…and what's the date?"  
"It's the 19th of September today."  
"And…it's 1981?"  
"Uh-huh."  
"But what date was it…maybe they missed it?"  
"Sorry, Lira, didn't quite catch that?"  
"No…it's just…Voldemort's after you, isn't he?"

There was a moment of extremely tense silence, and you could have cut the tension in the air with a butter knife.  
"How do you know about that?" James looked vaguely concerned now.  
"Nothing…I just…remembered. What date…and Sirius…Sirius Black…where's that _from_? Where have I heard that name _before_?"  
"Possibly when I introduced myself, like, thirty seconds ago?"  
"No…it's…oh…"  
"Lira, are you feeling okay?"  
Lily was starting to get worried about the now very pale girl, and Lira shook her head.  
"I think I'm just tired. It's been an eventful day."  
"Sounds that way." Lily smiled gently at her, and then held out her hand. "Come on, I'll take you upstairs." Lira took her outstretched hand and followed her up the wooden stairs, along the hallway, into a room that was next to the bathroom.

"This is the guest bedroom, Remus and Sirius sleep here sometimes, but it should be comfortable. Well, you'll have a bed, at least."  
"Thank you."  
"It's no problem."  
"No, really, it is. You didn't have to let me stay here, but you did. Thank you."  
"You're very welcome, sweetheart."

Lily summoned a nightdress from her drawer, and shrunk it slightly so that it would fit Lira. "Here you go. Sleep well, sweetheart, and give us a shout if you need anything."  
"Thank you. Goodnight!"  
"Goodnight, Lira!"  
Lira got changed, laid down on the bed and fell asleep almost immediately.

Now, many things happened that night while Lira was asleep. Owls were sent, a Portkey was used, Professor Dumbledore visited, and so did another man, who goes by the name Remus Lupin. However, I won't go into the details, because Lira was asleep, so she didn't know the details of these visits either.

When Lira woke up the next day, hair all over the place and nightgown crumpled, it was because of a certain grizzling toddler who wanted his breakfast. His problem, however, was that 'Lee-ra', who he had become quite attached to, hadn't come down yet. So when Lira came running down the stairs, stretching and yawning, both of his parents could've kissed her.

"M-M-Morning!" Lira yawned, and Lily smiled.  
"Sorry, did Harry wake you?"  
"Yeah, but its fine, I usually wake up early."  
"Do you want bacon?"  
"Oh, yes please."  
"Lee-ra!"  
"Hello Harry."  
"Lee-ra!"  
"Yes, Lee-ra."  
"'Oony!"  
"Yes, Lee- hang on, what?"  
"'Oony!"

Lira turned to ask Lily who 'Oony' was, but her question was answered as she saw Lily embracing a man who was not James _or_ Sirius. He was wearing a big grey overcoat, which reminded Lira of her Uncle Robert, but when he turned around, it became clear that he was _not_ like her Uncle Robert. He looked much too exciting for that, all scars and twinkly eyes.

"Hello, Lira, isn't it?"  
"Yes, I'm Lira. Who are you?"  
"Oh, I'm Remus."  
"Hello then, Remus. How are you?"  
Remus seemed surprised at the girl's manners.  
"I'm quite alright thank you, and you?"  
"A bit confused."  
"Yes, Lily explained what happened at the Ministry. I'm sure Dumbledore will find a solution."  
"Actually, Albus came last night."  
James came in from the kitchen, holding a plate of bacon, and he set it down on the table. "Do you want bacon, Lira?"  
"Yes please!"  
James smiled and served her some out, along with some toast.  
"And…what did Dumbledore…say? Lira finished, swallowing her mouthful.  
"He said that wasn't sure that it was possible."  
Lira choked on her bacon.  
"What?"  
"The Time Turners in the Ministry are made to go backwards in time, and make one trip. Going backwards in time, that's possible, but going forwards? The future is undetermined. You see, you landed in our living room when you were fourteen, but that shouldn't be possible, because right now, you should be just four months old. By coming back to the past, you have changed your future, so the moment that you departed from, that day with your uncle in the Ministry, for _you_ , never existed."  
"So…so…that means…I can't go home?"  
"I'm really sorry, Lira."

Lily walked over and sat down next to Lira at the table.  
"Lira?"  
The girl was shaking, looking down at the table, breakfast forgotten.  
"I can't go home?"  
"I'm really sorry, sweetheart."  
James and Remus exchanged concerned looks, and then went into the kitchen; they both knew that Lily would handle it best.  
"I was so stupid…I didn't even think…"  
"You weren't to know. It wasn't your fault."  
"Mum is going to be so mad at Uncle Robert…" Lira muttered, and then put her head in her hands as she started to cry. Lily rubbed her back, murmuring soothingly, but it was Harry who got the devastated girl to look up.  
"Lee-ra?"  
"Yes H-Harry?"  
He waved his arms around from his high-chair, and Lira stood up and picked him up, talking nonsensically to him.  
"It's nearly Halloween Harry, you don't know what Halloween is though, do you? That's okay, though, because you have an amazing mum and dad to tell you all about Halloween. I have a mum and dad too, and they told me all about Halloween. Now, I'm not going to see them again, I suppose."  
Her eyes burned with unshed tears, and Harry reached up to touch the tears that were trailing down her cheeks.  
"Lee-ra?"  
"Yes?"  
"Down pease." Harry pointed at the floor, so Lira put him down, and he toddled over to the cupboard and pulled out an adorable miniature broom. With a little help from his mother, Harry was soon soaring around the living room, roaring with laughter as he narrowly avoided flying into the wall.

Lira smiled weakly and ran her hand through her hair, before turning to talk to Lily.  
"So what am I going to do now?"  
Lily had an idea.  
"One second, I'll have to talk to James," Lily smiled at Lira's questioning look. "I have an idea."

Lily plucked Harry off his broom in mid-air, (she'd had a lot of practise), and plopped Harry down on the sofa. The broom fell harmlessly to the floor as Lily walked into the kitchen to talk to her husband.

Lira swung Harry up onto her lap and ruffled his hair, ignoring his squeals.  
"What do you think your mum and dad are talking about, huh, Harry? Do you know?"  
The baby didn't answer, he just grabbed the hem of her nightdress and shoved it in his mouth like it was a dummy. Lira sighed, and gently pulled it out, cringing slightly at the drool.

Luckily for Lira, she didn't have to rely on Harry for information for much longer, as Lily, James and Remus all walked in, and they all had smiles on their faces.  
"Hi?" Lira started nervously, and Harry reached his arms out.  
"'Oony!" Remus leant forward and picked Harry up off Lira's lap, and Lily and James sat either side of Lira in the sofa.  
"So, Lira, we know how hard this has got to be on you-"  
"And Professor Dumbledore thinks that it would mess with time for you to back to Hogwarts."  
"Oh."  
Lira couldn't believe it. How could she be a witch when she couldn't learn magic at Hogwarts?  
"And we know that you don't have anywhere to go."  
"So, we were thinking, well, I was thinking, and James agrees, do you want to stay here?"

Lira's jaw dropped.  
"Really?"  
James grinned. "Really, love."  
"You mean it? I can stay here?!"  
"If you want to." Lily smiled warmly at her, and Lira threw her arms around her, hugging Lily, and then James, tightly.  
"Yes! Thank you! Thank you, both of you, so much!"  
"You're very welcome. Harry seems to have taken to you too, so we wouldn't want to disappoint him now, would we?"  
"No, we would most definitely not."

There was a minute of happy silence, and then Lira asked the question that was on her mind. "So how can I learn magic if I don't go to Hogwarts?"  
"It's possible, of course, but it would be a lot of hassle, and people always ask questions."  
"So how will I learn magic?"  
"We'll help you."  
"Really? Thank you!"  
"It'll be fun."  
"Awesome."

"So, what's the spell do the washing-up?"  
"It's called elbow grease!" Lily teased, and then she stood up.  
"Would you mind looking after Harry while James and I clean up? He can be a bit of a handful!"  
"I can tell…" Lira sighed, pulling her nightdress once again out of Harry's mouth.

 **Hope you liked it!  
Remember! Ten reviews, please!  
Here's a sneak peek from the next chapter:  
** _"You!" Miss Ainsley seethed. "You drove your motorbike over my flowers!"  
_ _"That was an accident!"  
_ _"You've done it twice now. You honestly can't be that bad at parking that_ thing _."  
_ _"She's not a thing, she's a work of art. And the second time, you said something not so nice about Lily and James, and I couldn't just let that go!"_ _Miss Ainsley, seemingly unaware that Sirius had spoken, started rambling about the dangers of the wild youths in the quaint village of Godric's Hollow.  
_ **Reviews make me update faster!  
Danke,  
She-who-loves-fanfiction xx**


	4. Horrible, dark-haired hooligans

**Disclaimer: My initials are not even close to JKR.  
Enjoy! xx**

Sirius arrived about an hour later, groaning about something, and Lira went into the hallway to greet him, with Harry on her hip.  
"Hello Sirius."  
"Ah, Lira, still here? I though you would've gone home by now."  
Lira sobered slightly at that, and Sirius noticed.  
"Hey, is everything okay?"  
"I can't."  
"You can't what?"  
"I can't go home. Time Turners go backwards, not forwards. I can't go back to my time."  
"Oh, I'm sorry, Lira." Sirius rubbed her shoulder sympathetically, and Harry, not wanting his 'Lee-ra' to cry, patted her cheek.  
"Lee-ra…?"  
"I'm fine, Harry. Just a bit sad."  
"So do you know where you're going to stay? Are you going to Hogwarts?"  
"Mu-Lily and James said that I can stay here, seeing as I can't go to Hogwarts. I look just like my mother, so someone would be bound to recognise me."  
"Well, James and Lily are great, really great, so I'm sure you'll be happy here."  
"I hope so."

Harry held his hands out for Sirius, so Lira handed him over and walked into the kitchen, where Lily was washing up.  
"Umm…Lily? Is there anything that you want me to do?"  
"Not really, do you like to read?"  
"Yeah, a lot."  
"There are some books upstairs, if you want one. Go into my bedroom and get one off the shelf."  
"Thanks."

Lira climbed the stairs and went into the bedroom next to Harry's, which she presumed was James and Lily's, and crouched in front of the big bookshelf that lined one of the walls. Running her finger along the spines of the books, Lira finally settled on A Little Princess, which was one of her favourite classics. Skipping down the stairs joyfully, Lira curled up in the huge armchair next to the window and began to read.

She had just finished the first chapter, when Harry came toddling towards her, hands outstretched, chuckling, closely followed by an unfamiliar black dog. You might know who this is, but Lira didn't, and started to panic.

Swooping down, Lira snatched Harry up, tickling his tummy so that he shrieked with laughter. Narrowing her eyes, she reached her hand out to the dog, and it butted her hand, as a dog does, when it wants to be stroked.  
"Pad-foo!" Harry shrieked excitedly, and Lira sat very still for a minute, ruminating, before grinning.  
"Alright, transform Sirius."  
He did as she said, and sat down on the arm of the chair, combing his hair out of his face with his fingers.  
"How did you know that it was me?"  
"The hair," Lira mused, brushing her own light hair out of her eyes. "It was just as messy as when you were a person."

Sirius gasped in mock outrage.  
"My hair is not messy!"  
"Yeah, _okay_ Sirius." Lira giggled, and then she opened her book.  
"Should I read, Harry?" Lira asked, because the one-year old was looking up at her expectantly. When he didn't move, Lira cleared her throat and started to read aloud. Half way through chapter one, Harry was still sitting still, completely spellbound, and even Sirius had stopped fiddling with his wand and had started listening.

What Lira didn't know was that Lily and James were standing in the doorway, watching them, his arm around her shoulders.  
Lira finished chapter one, then carefully marked her page before closing the book.  
"Oh, don't stop!" Lily blurted out, and Lira looked up in surprise, blushing.  
"I was just reading…"  
"No, it was good!" Lily insisted. "It was nice to hear someone reading out loud."

A loud knock on the door made them all jump, and Lira stood up quickly, wanting to be helpful and hoping that it was Remus.  
It wasn't.

A large, elderly lady stood at the door, wearing a ratty purple bathrobe and slippers, and she had pink curlers in her hair. Her mouth was lined and wrinkled from years of yelling at people, and her watery blue eyes were focused on a suddenly nervous Lira.

"Um, hello ma'am. How may I help you?"  
Years of etiquette lessons from her mother had made Lira very well-mannered, and this fact softened the woman's face slightly.  
"And who are you?"  
"I'm…" Lira racked her brains for a believable lie. "Lily's niece. I'm staying here."  
"Well, you can tell your aunt that that horrible dark-haired hooligan better not drive that infernal motorcycle-speak of the devil!"  
Lira breathed an audible sigh of relief as Sirius slung his arm around her shoulders and smirked at the irate old woman standing on the doorstep.

"Hallo Miss Ainsley. Long time, no see."  
" _You_!" Miss Ainsley seethed. " _You_ drove _your_ motorbike over _my_ flowers!"  
"That was an accident."  
"You've done it twice now. You honestly can't be _that_ bad at parking that _thing_."  
"She's not a _thing_ , she's a work of art. And the second time, you said something not so nice about Lily and James, and I couldn't just let that go!"  
Miss Ainsley, seemingly unaware that Sirius had spoken, started rambling about the dangers of the wild youths in the quaint village of Godric's Hollow.  
"Now you're going to pollute this poor girl with your risible notions of right and wrong!"  
"Excuse me, ma'am?" Lira was getting frustrated now, and rightly so. "As much as I admire your _impressive_ vocabulary, Sirius only killed your flowers, it's not like he killed your cat. And he's not going to 'pollute' me. If it matters to you _that_ much, Sirius might fix your flowers."  
"Or not," Sirius interjected, and Lira fought the urge to smile again.

The lady gave an almighty huff and started to retort, so Lira curtseyed prettily, and went to close the door. "Like the bathrobe!" Sirius called, and as soon as the door closed, Lira and him both started to laugh.  
"Grumpy old bat." Sirius grumbled, a smile on his face, and Lira giggled at the thought of him running tiny flowers over with a huge motorbike.  
"Do you really own a motorcycle?"  
"You bet I do! She's my pride and joy, she is."  
"That's so cool! I've always wanted to ride on a motorbike."  
"I'm sure you'd love it. I'll ask Lily, see if she'll let me take you out on it."

'No' was going to be the answer, Lira knew, so she wasn't surprised when that was exactly what Lily said.  
"Why not?"  
"Because…just no."  
Sirius pouted childishly. "Come on, Lily-pad…"

Lily rolled her eyes at the nickname. "Did Miss Ainsley come to complain again?"  
"I may have run over her flowerbed."  
"Sirius!"  
"Apparently he's going to _pollute_ me."  
"That sounds like Miss Ainsley." Lily sighed. "Bathilda said that she was always like that, even when she was young."  
Lira must have looked confused, because Lily addressed her questioning look.  
"Bathilda Bagshot. Author of-"  
"A History of Magic! You _know_ her?"  
"Yeah, she comes around for tea quite a bit."  
"Bathilda Bagshot, the author of one of the most bestselling books of all time, comes around here for _tea_?"  
"I'll introduce you, if you want."  
"If I want? That would be great!"  
"That's settled, then. Bathilda absolutely _dotes_ on Harry, and she's got some excellent stories about the folk around here, so I'll invite her for dinner tomorrow. Sirius, will you be staying?"  
"Sorry Lils, Mad-Eye wants to see me.  
"Ah, shame. Would you mind asking Remus if he wants to come?"  
"I'll ask him when I see him."  
"Thanks Sirius."

"Lira!" A shout came from upstairs, and the girl in question looked inquiringly at Lily, who shrugged, before walking through into the hallway and running up the stairs.  
"Yeah?"  
"What colour do you want your room? I was thinking green," James was standing in the middle of the spare room, flicking his wand so that the walls changed colour accordingly. "Or red, or blue. What do you think?"  
"Umm…I like the green?"  
"Good choice." James said approvingly, turning around to face her. "Useful spell, that is. Colour Changing Charm. Have you learnt it yet?"  
"No, not yet. We were going to be starting them next term."  
"OK, here we go, I'll show you. That way you'll have learnt something useful today."  
"Great!"  
"OK, so Lily is better at Charms, but I practised for a while in fifth year for when I turned my hair red…but that's another story. The incantation is _Color mutatio,_ and when you cast the charm, give your wand a flick and visualise the colour you want the object to be. If you do it right, the object will change to the colour. Do you want to give it a go?"  
"OK." Lira searched the room, until her gaze fell onto a black mug on the bedside table. " _Color mutatio!"_ The originally black mug went a shocking bright pink, and James clapped encouragingly.  
"That's it, now shall we go and practise on something a bit more… _interesting_?"  
"Yeah!"

Lira followed James down the stairs, and they ran into the living room, Lira bumping into James as he stopped suddenly, staring resolutely at Sirius' hair. Grinning, Lira nudged him with her elbow. "What colour?"  
"Slytherin green!" James whispered, Lira flicked her wand, and they both collapsed into laughter as Sirius' hair turned a rather obnoxious green colour.  
"What?" Sirius turned, and they both laughed louder, Lily starting to giggle too.  
"But it's…it's his…the _eyebrows_ …" Lira gasped, and James conjured a mirror to pass to Sirius, still sniggering at the ridiculous sight.  
"What have you done to my _hair_ , James Potter?" Sirius shrieked, and Harry chuckled at the sound.  
"It wasn't me!" James laughed.  
"Who was it then?"  
James pointed to Lira, who tried to look apologetic while laughing, and failed.  
"James was teaching me how to do the Colour Changing Charm, and he said that it was important to practise...?"  
With that, Lira flicked her wand, muttered the charm and turned Sirius' hair back to normal.

"Well I've got something I can teach you!" Sirius exclaimed loudly, and Lily raised her eyebrows. "Really?"  
"Yeah! It's called the Bat Bogey Hex!" James swore under his breath at that, and ignoring Lily's shocked, "James!" gave a slightly girlish squeal and ran up the stairs.  
"How about some lunch?" Lily suggested, swishing her wand so that plates flew out of the kitchen and landed on the table.  
"I'll help!" Lira added, stowing her wand back in her pocket, and Sirius placed Harry back down on the sofa, running his hand through his no-longer green hair.  
"Argh, we've run out of bread." Lily groaned, rummaging through the cupboards, and Sirius piped up with an idea.  
"Lira and I could pop down to the shops? She hasn't been out into the village yet, and she should probably get some air."  
"Lira? Is that okay?"  
"Yeah! I'd really like to stretch my legs."

Lily smiled, and waved. "See you in a bit, then."  
Grinning, Sirius and Lira departed the cottage, Lira pulling her purple coat more firmly around her, and they set off down the path to where Sirius said that the shop was, him pointing out key things as they entered the square.  
"See, there's the church, and there's the graveyard, next to that big tree. There's the post office, there's a nice pub, just there, called the Wonky Cross, does great beer that place, not that you need to know that. There's the butcher's, the grocer's, and right there's the baker's, that's where we're going."  
"Have you got any Muggle money?" Lira asked, confused; this was, after all, a Muggle village.  
"Yeah, when we moved here, Lily made sure that I stocked up." At her confused look, he continued to explain. "I live just over the hill. I'll show you, here."

He led to the left of the square, where there was another street full of houses.  
"I live at the end of his street, just over there. Number fifteen. There we go, now you know, if there's ever an emergency, like if James is driving you mad, come and give me a visit." Lira smiled at the excited look on his face, and they crossed the square to the baker's.

"Hello Artie," Sirius said, speaking to a friendly looking man with a ruddy, smiling face.  
"Hello Sirius, what can I get you?"  
"One loaf of bread please, and a cake too."  
"Alright, one loaf of bread," Artie said, wrapping it up in paper. "And what cake would you like?"  
"What do you think, Lira? Which one shall we get?"  
Lira, surprised at being asked for her opinion, went up on her tip-toes to see the cakes on the counter. "Maybe the chocolate one?"  
"Good choice." Artie said approvingly, and Sirius smiled.  
"We'll have the chocolate one then, please."  
Artie wrapped them both up in brown paper, and put them in a brown paper bag.  
"That'll be seven pounds then, please."  
Sirius paid, and they said goodbye to the nice baker.

"Does Remus live around here as well?"  
"Nah, Remus lives in a flat up in London. Wanted to be close to his mum. She's sick, see, but don't tell him that I told you that."  
"Can I ask why Remus has so many scars?"  
Sirius took a deep breath. "That's probably for him to tell you, not me. Ask him, and see what he says. He might tell you, he might not. It's his choice."  
"Of course. I was just wondering-"  
"No, its fine for you to be curious. I was like that when I was your age."  
"And you're not anymore?" Lira asked shrewdly, and Sirius frowned at her, but he wasn't angry with her. He seemed to be thinking about his answer.

"I am still curious, I still want to know about things, I still like to learn, but now? Now I learn through experiences. I learnt not to underestimate people. I learnt to trust my friends, and I learnt to not be as reckless. I know that they've probably said this to you already, but life is so different when you leave Hogwarts. There are still lessons, but it's almost like you have to fail a test to get that lesson. You have to be beaten down to get higher."  
"I guess now that I've left Hogwarts, I'll learn through experiences too."  
"And that's not a bad thing! I remember, when I was in fourth year, I wanted to slide down the banister in the Entrance Hall. Everyone told me not to, but I was determined to, and I did. I slid down the banister and fell off at the bottom and broke my arm."  
"So now you won't slide down banisters anymore?"  
"No, I'll make sure that I do a Cushioning Charm before I start."

Sirius winks, and Lira laughs.  
"I mean it though. We'll help you, we'll make sure that you know everything that you need to know, and life can do the rest."  
They'd reached Lily and James' cottage, and Lira smiled as Sirius put his arm around her shoulders.  
"Hola, Lily-flower!"  
"Did you get the bread, Sirius?"  
"Yep, and cake!"  
"Oooh, what flavour?"  
"Lira picked chocolate."  
"Good choice, Lira."  
"Did someone say cake?"  
"Yes, we bought cake, but you aren't allowed any."  
" _What?_ Why not?"  
"You turned my hair green!"  
"No, I just showed Lira how to do it."  
"Ah, well, you taught her how to do it."  
"Hang on, _she's_ getting cake!"  
"Of course she is. She picked it!"  
"Oh, _come on_ …"

They sat down around the table, and Sirius grabbed the cake.  
"Cake first!"  
"No, Sirius, we're eating lunch now."  
"Oh, come on, that cake looks so nice, and we don't really _need_ lunch."  
"Sirius-"  
"Please, Tiger-Lily!"  
Lily sighed. "Fine. But Lira, you should really have something proper to eat."  
"I'm okay, Lily, really. I'd like some cake, if that's okay."  
Lily cut the cake and gave each of them a piece, and Harry toddled over to the table, hands outstretched. "Mama! Cake!"

She picked him up and sat him on her lap, moving her plate into the middle of the table so that it was out of Harry's reach as Lira took a spoon and delved into the cake.  
"Mm…" Sirius mumbled. "So good…"  
"Yum!" Lira smiled, licking her lips as she finished her piece. "Thanks Sirius."  
"You're very welcome. Now, I'm going to go and taunt James about the fact that I ate cake and he didn't, and then I'm going to slide down the banister." He winked at Lira, and she brandished her wand like a torch.  
"Don't forget the Cushioning Charm!"

 **Reviews make me update faster!  
** **Here's a sneak peek from the next chapter:**

 _Lira opened the door, and an unfamiliar man stood there.  
Lira's first thought was that the man was sweating, even though the weather was cool and breezy. Her second thought was that he needed to brush his hair, and brush his teeth, and wash his hands. His watery blue eyes were darting around like he'd been caught doing something that he shouldn't, which, as a matter fact, he had. Despite the fact that Lira didn't know this about this, she still took an instant dislike to him, as he stood there, sweating like a pig, eyeing her like she was the one who looked out of place.  
_

 _"Um…hi?" The man looked almost as nervous as Lira felt.  
"Who are you?"  
"I'm P-Peter, I'm here to see Lily and James. Who are you?" **  
**_

 **Hope you liked it!  
Danke,  
She-who-loves-fanfiction xx**


	5. Bambi, the cute baby deer

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. It's a surprise, I know.  
Please follow, favourite and review!  
Enjoy xx**

The next morning dawned bright and early, and Lira was up with the sun, finishing her book until it was breakfast time. As soon as they'd finished eating their breakfast (along with the remainder of the cake), James went outside to fix the fence and Lily asked for Lira's help to do the chores.

"Argghhh!" Lira groaned, as she dropped the pile of washing for the third time. "Wingardium Leviosa!" The clothes rose up into the air, and Lira stumbled down the stairs, the levitating clothes following her like ghosts.  
"Where do you want the washing?"  
"Up here, please." Lily patted the kitchen counter, and Lira raised her wand so that the washing landed on the side.  
"What else is there to do?"  
"I've charmed the iron to do the ironing, and Harry's playing with his toy soldiers, James said that the fence is nearly done…um…would you take these upstairs?"  
"OK, one second." Lira levitated the clothes again. "Are these clean?"  
"Yeah, oh hang on, I got some of these out for you…they might be a bit big but I can always shrink them down…here."  
Lily passed Lira a stack of clothes, and Lira grinned.  
"Thanks, I'll try them on when I go upstairs."  
"Cool, see you in a minute."

Lira skipped up the stairs like the Pied Piper, the clothes dancing around behind her. After putting them away, she tried on all of the clothes that Lily gave her, and made a pile of the clothes that she liked, and the ones that needed shrinking, before pulling on a pair of jeans, a yellow t-shirt and a blue jumper. A loud knock on the door sent Lira flying down the stairs to see who it was.  
"Who is it?" Lily called from the kitchen, and Lira shrugged, even though she knew that no one could see her. Lira opened the door, and an unfamiliar man stood there.

Lira's first thought was that the man was sweating, even though the weather was cool and breezy. Her second thought was that he needed to brush his hair, and brush his teeth, and wash his hands. His watery blue eyes were darting around like he'd been caught doing something that he shouldn't, which, as a matter fact, he had. Despite the fact that Lira didn't know this about this, she still took an instant dislike to him, as he stood there, sweating like a pig, eyeing her like she was the one who looked out of place.

"Um…hi?" The man looked almost as nervous as Lira felt.  
"Who are you?"  
"I'm P-Peter, I'm here to see Lily and James. Who are _you_?"  
"I'm Lira, I _live_ here."  
Lira was getting a bit frustrated, even though there was no reason for it.  
"Lira, honey? Is everything alright?"  
"Yeah, do you know someone called Peter?"  
"Peter? Oh, hello!"  
"Lily!" Peter called, relieved, and Lira gave him the evil eye before moving out of the way to let him in.

"Who's at the door?" James called from the garden, and then appeared at the back door.  
"Hello, Wormy!"  
"Hey, James."  
"Who's the girl?"  
"My name is _Lira_."  
"OK, so what's she doing here?"  
"Lira's staying with us."  
"R-Really?" Peter stuttered slightly as he spoke, and Lira frowned, confused.  
"Yeah, I'm staying here with James and Lily, because I can't go back home."  
"Right. Okay. That's nice."  
"What brings you here, Wormy?"  
"Lily invited me around, said that Bathilda was coming around for tea, so I thought I might come round a bit earlier."  
"Peter! How are you?"  
Lily came out of the kitchen, wiping her sudsy hands on her jumper.  
"I'm alright, thank you."  
"Bathilda said that she'd be coming around in a minute, so you're just in time."  
"Excellent."  
"Sorry, Lira, this is Peter Pettigrew. He was our good friend at Hogwarts, and is still our friend now. Peter, this is Lira. She had a… _accident_ with a Time Turner so she's going to be staying with us."  
"Great. Thanks for letting me know."  
There was a definite coolness to Lira's voice, and Lily looked at her curiously.  
"Are you okay?"  
"I'm fine. Just a bit…tired, I think."  
"Okay." Lily said, but she didn't look convinced.  
The atmosphere in the kitchen was tense now, and Lira went over to play with Harry, leaving the adults in the kitchen.

"You don't know what date it was, do you Harry?" The baby looked up at her, confused, and she sighed. "Of course you don't, you aren't from my time. If only I could remember the details…" Lira smiled weakly as Harry ran his little fingers through her hair.  
"Broom?"  
"Okay, one second. Lily?" Lira stood up. "Can Harry go on his broom?"  
"Yeah, just keep a close eye on him!"  
"I will!"

Lira picked up Harry's miniature broom and laid it on the floor.  
"Up." It flew up into her hand, hovering in mid-air, and she placed Harry on it. As soon as his bottom touched the seat, he gripped it tightly and zoomed off around the room, screaming with laughter.  
"Harry! Mind the table!" She shrieked, ducking as Harry flew over her head, guffawing with laughter. "Slow down!"  
Thankfully, the baby did so, but only a little bit. There was another knock on the door, and Lily stood up, speaking to no one in particular.  
"I'll get it."

Barely a minute later, Remus came into the living room, a smile on his face as he saw Harry zooming around on his broom. "Oony!"  
"How are you doing, Moony?"  
"Hello Harry, James. I'm doing fine, thank you. How are you, Lira?"  
"I'm better, thank you."  
Remus ignored the empty chair at the table and went to sit down on the sofa with Lira, who was watching Harry with a paranoid look in her eyes, as Peter, Lily and James started to speak again.  
"Remus?"  
"Yes?"  
"Can I ask you a question?"  
"Of course you can. Whether I can answer it though, is another matter."  
"Um…when did you get those scars?"  
Remus' face closed up like a hedgehog disturbed.  
"They are from a long time ago, before I was fifteen."  
"May I ask how you got them?"  
Remus took a long time thinking about his answer.  
"I am not going to lie and say that I am not ashamed, of how I got these scars, and if you feel any differently towards me after I have told you, I will not hold it against you."  
"Okay…" Lira muttered, starting to get a little worried now.  
"I got these scars because I am a werewolf."  
Remus studied Lira's face carefully for any disgust, or fear that might have lurked there, but only saw understanding. Understanding, and a little pity.  
"That's why they call you Moony."  
"Yes."

"I'm a little relieved, actually. For a moment there I thought that you just went around mooning people."  
"No, though Sirius did dare me to do that once."  
"Why does that not surprise me…?"  
"Sirius is quite a special man…"  
"Where did you transform?"  
"I'm sorry?"  
"At Hogwarts. They must have planted…and there's the tree…the Shrieking Shack. The haunting…you transformed in the Shrieking Shack, didn't you?"  
Remus smiled, impressed with her thought process, and nodded.  
"But how did you get there? It's not near enough to Hogwarts…"  
"There's a passage in the Whomping Willow."  
"Uh…I hate that tree…"  
"I don't like it much, either."  
"And Sirius…he's an Animagus, right?"  
"Yeah."  
"But he's unregistered?"  
Remus was shocked.  
"How do you know that?"  
"There's a list of the registered Animagi in Britain, I researched it for my homework, and he isn't on that."  
"Right again! But the Ministry aren't aware that there are three unregistered Animagi running around."  
"Three?"

Remus' eyes widened as he realised his mistake.  
"No…I mean…"  
"Not you…but James? And… _Peter_?"  
Lira spat Peter's name like it had mortally offended her.  
"What did Peter do?"  
"Don't change the subject. They're Animagi, aren't they?"  
"Maybe."  
"What animals?"  
"Peter is a rat,"  
Remus started, and Lira coughed something that sounded like "Figures."  
"And James is a stag."  
"A stag? Like, a deer?"  
"Uh-huh."  
" _Prongs_..." She breathed, understanding sparkling in her eyes.

"Lira?"  
"Yeah?"  
Lily called from over at the table, and Lira kneeled up, peering over the top of the sofa. As she caught sight of James, she burst out laughing, and they all looked at her, confused, except Remus, who smiled and turned around to see what was going on.  
"What?" James said, self-consciously touching his hair.  
"Nothing, Bambi."  
Lira grinned, there was a minute of silence, and then Lily and Lira started to giggle. A second later, they were both roaring with laughter.  
"What? What's so funny?" Both James and Peter were sitting at the table, thoroughly perplexed, while Remus smirked and the girls shrieked with laughter.  
"Bambi…that's genius…" Lily gasped, and Lira grinned.  
"Prancer, too." They laughed again, and James stood up.

"Okay, Lily, what's going on?"  
"Prancer…" Lily gasped, and James turned to Lira.  
"Okay, Lira, I'm relying on you. What's going on?"  
"Bambi is an animated movie about a cute baby deer…"  
"You told her!" James turned to Remus accusingly.  
"It was an accident! She was too smart!"  
"Why, thank you!"  
"Does she know about Sirius too?"  
"Yep, he showed me yesterday."  
"What about Peter?"  
"Yeah, he's a _rat_. Can you show me?"  
"What?"

"Can you show me your Animagus form?"  
"There might not be enough room." James said, looking around, and Lily flicked her wand so that the sofa pushed up against the wall, and picked Harry up.  
"Now there will be."

James closed his eyes, and his back lengthened smoothly, his arms and legs stretching and becoming hooves, his hair shooting back into his head, antlers sprouting from his head. Remus and Peter didn't react, having seen him transform hundreds of times, and Lily's eyes only widened very slightly; she'd seen James transform before. Harry clapped his hands and cried, "Dada!", but the best reaction was by far Lira's.

"Wow…" She muttered, running her hand along the length of his back, and he nudged her ribs with his muzzle. Lira giggled, and touched his antlers gently.  
"That's so cool…" There was a tap on the door, and James transformed quickly, so that Lira's hand was in his hair as he straightened up.  
"That'll be Bathilda!" Lily smiled, swishing her wand so that the sofa moved back into place.  
"Hello Bathilda! Can I get you some tea?"  
"Yes please, Lily dear, and then I think I'll sit down. These old legs don't work as they used to." A friendly voice floated in from the hallway, and Lily came in, along with a smartly-dressed lady, holding a tin patterned with Golden Snitches.  
"Hello, James dear, oh and Peter and Remus, it's lovely to see you. Now who's this?"

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	6. To be lost

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine!  
A/N: Sorry it's been a while!  
WARNING- Feels ahead!  
Enjoy xx**

Two hours later, Peter and Remus had left, and Bathilda was leaving with promises to come again the next day.  
"And I'll bring my photo album to show you, Lira, dear. Thank you for the tea!"  
"Thank you for the Cauldron Cakes! They were really yummy! I'll see you tomorrow."  
"Look after yourself until then, my dear."  
"Bye!"

The front door closes with a bang, and Lira skips into the living room, stomach full, a wide grin on her face. Upstairs, Lily was putting Harry down for a nap.  
"Have fun, did you, Lira?"  
James is smiling as he asks her, and she throws her herself down on the sofa.  
"Yeah! Bathilda is _amazing_! She knows _so_ much about the wizarding world. One thing though, we were talking about Patronuses, and I kind of don't know how to do one. Can you show me?"  
"Of course! It is kind of advanced though, most wizards and witches your age would struggle to produce a corporeal Patronus."  
"Well, there's no harm in trying, is there?"  
"No," James admitted, standing up and picking his wand up off the coffee table.  
"OK, so the incantation is _Expecto Patronum._  
"Don't you have to do something else, too?"  
"Yes. So, I need you to think of the happiest memory that you have. Let it fill you up. Tell me when you get one."

Lira closed her eyes, and scanned through her memories, trying to think of when she had felt truly happy in the past. Finally, she found a memory, one that was powerful, and to her surprise, it wasn't from her original time. However, merely recollecting it made her smile, so she focused on it _,_ smiling.  
"Got one."  
"Is it powerful?"  
"It's as happy as I've ever felt."  
"Good. Now, concentrate, and say _Expecto Patronum_. _"  
_ " _Expecto Patronum_."  
A wisp of silvery vapour flew from the end of her wand, and James nodded encouragingly. "That's it! Keep going! Make sure that you focus."

The image of Harry flying around on a broom filling her mind, Lira closed her eyes for a second, and gathered up another memory, about the day that her mother had taken her to Diagon Alley to buy her school things. Harry flying around, and her mother laughing like a little girl as she dragged Lira off to buy her robes filled Lira with a delicious warmth, and she opened her eyes.  
" _Expecto Patronum_."

A beautiful silver butterfly erupted from the tip of her wand, flying around her head, and James laughed in disbelief.  
"That's it! Keep focused!"  
The Patronus glided around the room as Lily came running down the stairs.  
"James, are you doing your Patronus? I saw…"  
She fell silent as she saw Lira, who was watching her butterfly in awe. A gasp from Lily broke Lira's concentration, and she turned to the Potters as the butterfly faded.

"Lira, that was _amazing_. Well done!"  
James sounded impressed, and Lily pulled out her own wand, grinning.  
" _Expecto Patronum_."  
An elegant silver doe cantered out of the tip of her wand, prancing around the room, and Lira watched it, smiling, until it faded.  
"So your Patronuses match?"  
"Uh-huh." James nodded, and Lira furrowed her brow in understanding.  
"That's so cool! So you're like… _made_ for each other?"  
"I knew it!" James cried, and Lily smacked him on the arm.

As Lira sat back down on the sofa, picking her book up off the coffee table, a wide smile on her face, she couldn't help but be grateful that nearly everyone she had met so far had been avuncular and kind.

When she had finished another chapter, Lira put the book down, stood up and stretched.  
"Is there anything you want me to do?"  
"Not really, love. You could go for a walk, if you want?"  
"Yeah, I will, if you don't mind."  
Lira stuffed her wand in her pocket, just in case and pulled her coat on.  
"Bye!"  
"Don't do anything I wouldn't!" James called, and Lira laughed.  
"Bye!"

Lira did the buttons up on her coat and began to walk down the path, fishing around in her pockets. There was a crumpled-up tissue, a folded Muggle £5 note, a boiled sweet and a pen. Lira could remember how each of those things had come to be in her coat pocket: the tissue had been thrusted at her by her mother, as you 'always need a tissue'; the Muggle £5 had been given to her by her father just before she had left, in case she needed to buy anything; the boiled sweet she had been given by Artie, the baker, from the bowl in the shop when she went with Sirius, and the pen she had grabbed herself, in case she needed to write anything down on the back of her hand.

She crossed the street and walked briskly down the path, tucking her hair behind her ears and fiddling with the tip of her wand, which was tucked out of sight. The square was virtually empty, apart from a middle-aged couple, sitting on a bench, holding hands, so Lira crossed the square to the church, to where she knew the graveyard was. Pushing open the kissing gate, she stepped into the graveyard the sun reflecting off the stained glass windows, dazzling her.

Bathilda had told her all sorts of stories about the people around here, and especially about Dumbledore, who apparently grew up in Godric's Hollow, and Lira knew that his mother's grave was here. She walked along the rows of gravestones, running her hand along the tops of them, scanning the names until she came to a beautiful granite gravestone, the edges crumbling slightly, spotted with moss and lichen. It read:  
KENDRA DUMBLEDORE AND HER DAUGHTER, ARIANA.  
 _WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS, THERE WILL YOUR HEART BE ALSO._

There were dates, dates of their births and deaths, and it took Lira barely a second to work out that the daughter, Ariana, Dumbledore's sister, would have been fourteen when her mother died, the same age that she was now. And, like Ariana, she had lost her mother, but not just her mother, her father, her uncle and her friends. Tears traced a path down Lira's face, but apart from that she was still, like a statue, like a ghost, watching over the grave.

It was a few minutes later that Lira began to feel the cold, seeping through her coat; it was cold for October, but she was cold for a different reason. She coughed, and the sound seemed loud in the heavy silence of the graveyard, so she forced herself to move, to stop dwelling on the idea of the people, sleeping under the ground. There were no flowers at the grave and if there had been any, they had withered away to nothing. It made Lira sad to see that, because she knew that if she died, she would want flowers at her grave. Flowers to brighten it up, because the graves here were beautiful, but sad, and she wanted people to look at her grave and feel happy, and remember her.

After looking around to see if there was anyone around, which there wasn't, Lira ignored the fact that she had the Trace on her, ignored the fact that she was about to break the Statue of Secrecy, ignored the fact that she was underage, because these people, she might not know them, but she knew what that girl, Ariana, had gone through, knew what it was like to lose a mother at fourteen.

The flowers she produced weren't as extravagant as some of the flowers on the other graves, which were roses and lilies and petunias. The daisies that she laid on the ground, however, were beautiful, beautiful because they would live for a short time and then die, just like Ariana. She stowed her wand back in her pocket, ran her fingers over the names on the grave one last time, and turned, walking back towards the kissing gate.

As she walked, wiping her tears off her face with her thumb, she thought about Dumbledore. The man who'd won every award that there was to win, the man who was Headmaster at the most prodigious school for magic in the world, the man with skeletons in his closet. The man with a sister and mother lying in Godric's Hollow, with a grave that no one had visited in a long time. Now it had been visited, though. It had been visited by a fourteen-year old girl who had lost everything, and found quite a few new things too. A girl who knew what it was like to lose someone, and knew what it was like to be lost.

 ***starts ugly crying* Why do I have to make _myself_ sad?!  
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**


	7. A young deer and his friends

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.  
Enjoy x**

Lira reached the house a few minutes later, still trying to stop herself from crying, and when she entered the house, Lily came rushing into the hallway.  
"You've been ages! We were starting to worry! Oh…are you okay?"  
"I'm fine. Sorry to have worried you." Lira said shortly, pulled her coat off and shoes off, and walked up the stairs. She could actually _feel_ the grief, like a lead weight in the pit of her stomach, and she curled up on her bed, trying to squash it. She knew that she should cry, but the tears wouldn't come, and her old tears had dried on her face. Her hair was hanging in her face, like the tendrils of a weeping willow, and she pulled it up into a ponytail to get it out of the way.

A few minutes later, the stairs creaked, and Lily peeked her head around the door.  
"Lira? Can I come in?"  
When there was no response, the redhead slipped silently in, and sat down on the bed next to the blonde. Neither of them spoke for a moment, and then Lira started, her voice hoarse and breaking.  
"I went to the graveyard, and I saw a grave…it was a girl, and her mother. The mother had died when the girl was fourteen, and I just couldn't stop thinking…I know how she felt…but I haven't just lost my mother, I've lost all of them…everyone…"  
The tears came then, and Lily put her arms around the crying girl, rubbing her back soothingly. She didn't say anything, which Lira was grateful for, because there was nothing that Lily could say to make this alright.

"I miss them…I miss them so much, Lily…"  
"I know you do, I know, honey. But it'll be okay, it'll be alright."  
Lira didn't contradict her, even though she doubted it. Unknown to both of them, as they hugged, James peered around the door, holding Harry. His face was creased with worry, but he relaxed slightly as he saw his wife speaking in a low voice, trying to calm her.  
"I know we can't replace your parents, honey, but if we can help you, please let us know. I know that it's horrible, to have someone wiped out of your life."  
Her voice was bitter, and Lira looked up, wiping her eyes.  
"Did that happen to you?"  
"My sister. She…she didn't approve of me being a witch, a 'freak', she called me. To her, I was abnormal, I was strange, and I didn't fit in with her idea of normality, so she shut me out, until I stopped writing to her, stopped trying."  
"That was stupid of her." Lira said, suddenly impassioned. "That was stupid. She's lucky to have a family. Really lucky. So what's she doing, shutting a wonderful person like you out?"

"Her husband doesn't approve of me, and doesn't want me near his son."  
"Does he control her?"  
"I do hope not."  
"She is lucky, and she should know that. She has a family, and an amazing sister, and she should be happy. She shouldn't be shutting you out!"  
"I know that, but I don't think she does."  
"Can I write to her?"  
"I'm sorry?"  
"Can I write to her? Your sister?" Seeing Lily's apprehensive look, she carried on hurriedly. "I won't be rude, I just want her to see the situation through another perspective. You can read it before I send it!" She added, hoping that it would help, and it did.  
"Okay then. If it'll make you feel better. Here, let me get some parchment."  
Lily flicked her wand, and a quill, bottle of ink and a roll of parchment appeared.  
"What's her name?"  
"Petunia. Petunia Dursley."  
Lira took a deep breath, grabbed a book to lean on, and started to write.

 _Dear Petunia,  
You don't know me, but you do know the person that I am writing to you about, so I suppose that counts for something. Now, before you tear up this letter, thinking that it's rubbish, I want you to think what you would have done if you had received this letter about your sister ten years ago. You wouldn't have thrown it away. You would have stopped to read it, and you will now, because you still love your sister, Petunia. And you should._

 _Lily Potter is an amazing woman, and I cannot say that enough. Her and her husband took me in when I had lost everything, and not only that, stopped to listen. I'm sure you don't want to listen to me moaning about my life, but, unfortunately for you, you're going to have to, because what I have to say is very important._

 _I am fourteen years old. My name is Lira Munns, and I am from Staffordshire, England. A few days ago, there was accident, and something happened. That something sent me back in time, to this year. Now, I'm not going to go into the details, because they are not important, but what is important is that I lost everyone. I can never return to my time. I will never see my parents again. I don't have a sister, Petunia, but if I did, I bet that I'd miss her, even if she wasn't a witch like me. But you? You have shut your sister out, again and again, until she has stopped trying to reach out to you._

 _I am not writing this letter because Lily has asked me to. I am writing this letter because, Petunia Dursley, you do not know how lucky you are, to have a family, and a sister that loves you. But what do I know? I don't have a sister who's a 'freak'. That's what you'd say, isn't it, Petunia?  
No, I don't have a sister who is a 'freak'.  
I don't have a sister at all. I don't have a family, apart from your sister, her husband, and their friends. I am happy with them, but I still miss my family. You may be happy with your husband and your son and your new family, but I'm sure you miss your sister, Petunia._

 _She has a son, you know, a son called Harry, and he is the most adorable little baby I've ever seen. His birthday was back in July, and I know that you have a son too. Doesn't he deserve to know his Aunt Lily? Doesn't Harry deserve to know his Aunt Petunia?_

 _I'm not going to write much more, because I am running out of parchment, but I want you to do one thing. Yes, I know, why should you do anything that I ask you to do?  
Because it is the right thing to do.  
Write to your sister, Petunia. You have her address.  
Tell her something about yourself. It could be anything.  
What you had for dinner last night. What you read in a magazine that you found interesting. What your favourite colour is and why. What your son did yesterday that made you laugh.  
And she will write back with something similar.  
You're lucky to have a family.  
Don't let her drift away, Petunia.  
Thank you._

 _Yours faithfully,  
Lira Munns_

Lira finished off the letter and handed it to Lily, who shook her head and handed it back.  
"Its fine, I trust you." The redhead flicked her wand and an envelope appeared.  
"How about we post it?"  
"What, like in a post-box? Lily asked, and Lira nodded.  
"OK, I'll ask Sirius to take it later."  
"Why not you? Sorry, but why won't you go? Or James? I know that it is none of my business, but I was just wondering…"  
"Okay." Lily seemed to be considering something, running it over and over in her mind, ruminating, and then she decided on whatever it was she needed to be decided on.

As if by magic, which is quite possibly was, James appeared in the doorway, clutching a squirming Harry. He walked in slowly, and looked at Lily.  
"Should we tell her?"  
"I think so."  
They looked at each other, and it was like they had an entire conversation through their eyes. James sat down on the bed, and placed Harry down, where he curled up in his mother's lap, playing with her hair. James took a deep breath, and ran his hand through his already messy hair.

He then proceeded to explain everything. He told Lira about Voldemort, and the prophecy, and Dumbledore and the Fidelius Charm. He told her about the Order of the Phoenix and the spy and the disappearances and the fact that they were going to change their Secret Keeper, to try to fool Voldemort, because Sirius Black looked like a bigger target than Peter Pettigrew to him.

"And you can't tell anyone that we're changing our Secret Keeper, especially not Remus, okay?"  
"Why not? I mean, why can't Remus know?"  
"We think…we think that Remus might be…might be the spy."  
"No! Remus? He wouldn't…"  
"Well, he's a good liar, Lira…"  
There was a mere second of silence, and then Lira spoke, her voice low and urgent.  
"Is it because he's a werewolf?"  
"How do you know about that?"  
"He told me."  
"He told _you_?"  
"Yeah. I asked him how he got his scars, and he told me."  
"It took us nearly a _year_ to admit that he was a werewolf. Why would he just tell _you_?"  
James asked, almost accusingly, and Lira narrowed her eyes.  
"I don't know why he told me so willingly. But he did. You might think he's the spy, but I don't." Seeing their panicked expressions, she added, "I won't tell about the swap, of course I won't." Breathing quickly, she looked at them incredulously, desperately.

"But _Remus_? Remus? Really?"  
"There aren't many other possibilities."  
James looked sad, and Lily disentangled her hand from around Harry to rub her husband's arm consolingly.  
"Are you sure? Because I've met some mysterious people."  
"If you suggesting that it's Sirius, it is not."  
"Oh, I know. Sirius is great. Really great. He would never betray you like that."  
Lira was talking about Peter, but after his reaction, she decided not to mention it. They knew him better than she did, after all, and he must have done something to earn their trust. Then her mind began to wander, as it often did, and she thought of something that Remus had told her, she remembered the bitter edge to his voice as he had said it.

"You became Animagi for him, didn't you?"  
Lira said suddenly, her eyes glazed over as they often did when she was thinking.  
"Did he tell you about that too?" James laughed bitterly, a harsh sound, but behind that harshness Lira could see an inch of regret, and a whole load of sadness.  
"No. But it makes sense…" Blood flushed in Lira's face for the first time since she had returned from the graveyard as she thought, eyes slightly wild, staring at the duvet. This was Lira using her brain, and you could practically see the cogs in there working.  
"Werewolves are only a danger to humans. So you became Animagi to make his transformation less painful. And now you think that he has betrayed you. Oh, James…"

Lira looked up, her eyes full of sympathy, and she squeezed his hand, which was lying on the bed, motionless. James gazed at her for a minute, like he was thinking, and then let go of her hand.  
"Let's do something. Lira, do you know how to do the Protean Charm?"  
"Isn't that NEWT level?"  
"Maybe, but you're smart enough to handle it. "  
He grinned, and when Lira stood up, grabbing her wand, you could see the approval in this eyes.

Fifteen minutes later, Lira was practising on some coins.  
"That's it, now make sure that you tap it very sharply, or the numbers will appear distorted when they appear."  
Lira scrunched up her face, concentrating, and she tapped the Galleon with the tip of her wand, muttering the incantation as clearly as she could. The coin in James' hand heated up, and the numbers around the rim turned so that they were all zeroes.  
"Excellent! Really well done, Lira!"  
"Thank you," said Lira, blushing, suddenly shy.

Lily called up the stairs, making them both jump.  
"Sirius is here!"  
Lira and James both put down the things they were holding, turned and ran down the stairs, pushing and shoving each other in their haste. They spilled out at the bottom of the stairs, laughing, and Harry toddled into view, pointing at the living room.  
"Dada, Lee-ra! Pad-foo!"  
Lira swooped down and picked Harry up, swinging him up onto her hip, and then they both hurried into the living room. In there, Sirius sat, throwing a Quaffle into the air and then catching it again, grinning.  
"Hello Padfoot!"  
"Prongsie! Lira! Hello! How are you? What have you been doing?"  
"I just taught Lira here how to do the Protean Charm."  
"And you did it? And you're what, fourteen?"  
"Yep. It wasn't that hard, really. You just have to get the wand movement right."

Their dinner was delicious, a roast chicken with roast potatoes, just the way that Lira's mother had made it, but this time there were Yorkshire puddings this time too, and they were amazing dipped in gravy. Lira, Sirius and James all had seconds, and even Lily cleared her plate. When they had cleared up, they all gathered in the living room and sat in front of the television, Sirius juggling Harry and the Quaffle that he'd bought, Lily sitting in James' lap in the armchair, his face buried in her hair, and Lira curled up next to the armrest, plaiting her hair to one side, humming.

It was another game show on TV, not _Three Letters_ , but another one, one with two families and a one thousand pound cash prize. Sirius pointed at the presenter, who was a smartly dressed man with a blinding smile.  
"If he doesn't tone down that smile, I'm going to need sunglasses."  
 _"Now, Michael, what film, featuring a young deer and his friends, was released in 1942, in the United States of America?"  
"Bambi!" The man cried excitedly, and the presenter nodded encouragingly.  
"That's correct!"_

Lira looked down at the floor, trying not to laugh, and Lily bit her lip. However when they caught each other's eyes, it was all over.  
They both shrieked with laughter, leaning against the armrests, giggling and chuckling and laughing.  
"Bambi!" Lily screamed, holding her side, and Lira giggled.  
"A young deer and his friends!"  
"Bambi!"  
"Oh Merlin…"  
"So that's what Bambi is? A movie about a deer?"  
James looked at them in surprise, and looked at Sirius, who was laughing quietly, trying to hide behind Harry. Soon, the rest of them were all laughing, watching the television and trying not look at James.

Three game shows, one Animagus transformation and two hours later, Sirius had just left, they had seen him out, and now Lira was tired.  
"I think I'll…g-g-go up to bed." She yawned, stretching, and Lily smiled.  
"Ok then, honey. Sleep well!"  
Lira dropped a kiss in Harry's messy hair, winked at a surprised James and hugged a surprised Lily, waved and went up to bed.

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	8. The little ghost girl

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**  
 **Enjoy x**

"Do I _have_ to?"  
"Oh, come on, Lira, it's Halloween! You _have_ to go trick-or-treating!"  
"But I feel bad! You guys can't go out!"  
"Yes, but that shouldn't stop _you_. Go on, Lira, Lily will help you find something you can wear, and you can go with some of the boys down the road that Bathilda were talking about. They're meeting outside the church at eight. It'll be fun!"  
"Fine." Lira grumbled, and then smiled begrudgingly at James, who winked.

Lira followed Lily up the stairs, and followed her into her and James' bedroom.  
"Okay, I think I should have something in here for you to wear."  
She fished through the clothes in the wardrobe, and then pulled out a long white dress, the top of it covered in lace, a collar riddled with buttons tracing down the front, with a drawstring belt around the waist. Lily handed it to the girl, and then turned her back.  
"Put it on, okay, and we'll see how it looks."  
Lira undressed and pulled on the long white dress, smiling as it swamped her, the hem brushing her bare ankles.  
"Ready."  
"Oh, that looks great, Lira! Really, really good. Almost ghost-like. Ooooh, hang on!"  
Lily pulled a hairbrush from her bedside table, and her wand from her pocket, and carefully undid the ribbon from Lira's hair.  
"Do you mind if I do your hair?"  
"Of course not!"

They both sat down on the bed, and Lily ran a brush through Lira's hair gently, before curling the wand around the ends of her hair, so that the wavy strands became ringlets. Pinning several strands back, Lily adjusted a few pieces, and leaned back to see the hair from a distance. "Ok, sweetheart, have a look and see what you think."  
Lira stood up and looked at her reflection. She barely recognised herself.

Her long hair was straight until it hit her waist, where it curled and twisted, almost the exact same shade as the dress, almost silver. Her dress was long and old-fashioned, and with the pair of worn white ballet flats that she had been wearing that day at the Ministry, she would look every inch a little ghost girl.

"Do you think you'll need a jacket?  
"Maybe if you did a warming charm?"  
"Good idea."  
Lily waved her wand over Lira's shoulders, and Lira felt a comfortable layer of warmth settle over her.  
"Here."  
The dress had no pockets, so Lily handed Lira a small white bag with a shoulder strap.  
"You can put your wand in there."  
"Great, thanks."  
Lira stowed her wand into the bag and skipped down the stairs, where James was waiting at the bottom of the stairs.  
"Ah, you look great! A ghost, right?"  
"Uh-huh."  
"Well, have fun!"  
"I will." Lira hugged a now not so surprised Lily, hugged a still surprised James, kissed Harry on the forehead and clutched her bag tightly.  
"Just…be back by half nine, yeah?"  
"Okay. See you in a bit."  
"Take care." James and Lily waved as Lira walked down the path, opened the gate, stepped out, closed the gate, and set off for the church, to where Bathilda had said the boys would be.

As Lira walked past the graveyard, she quickened her pace slightly. To any onlooker, she would have looked like a ghost, walking past the gravestones, her pale face, short stature, long dress and white-blonde hair more realistic than any make-up she could have done.

As she reached the church, she could see the young boys, gathered by the doors, which were decorated with fake cobwebs and a plastic skeleton, which seemed to be waving its thin bony fingers at her, its white colouring seeming to glow in the dark.  
"Hello, are you…Lira?"  
The first boy, who looked about ten and was dressed as a pumpkin, asked, and Lira nodded.  
"Yep, hello. What's your name?"  
The four boys went around with their names; they were called Mike, Tyler, John and Owen, respectively.  
"So, you guys know this village better than I do. Where should we start?"  
They walked up to the entrance to the village, along to the terraced houses, and walked up to the path of the first house, clutching their sweet bags excitedly. The woman in the first house was kind, and gave them all a boiled sweet, the second woman gave them a chocolate bar to share reluctantly, and the third woman gave them nothing apart from a scowl and a promise to not let them in again.

"Ooooh, Lira, why didn't the skeleton go to the ball?"  
"I don't know, why?"  
"Because he had no body to go with."  
Lira had to laugh at that.

They had just finished the first street when Mike pointed at a man who was dressed as a kind of ghoul, his body cloaked in black thread, his hands clutching something tightly.  
"Hey, look at him, isn't his costume cool?"  
Mike hurried up to the man, and Lira's warnings faded on her lips.  
"Nice costume, Mister!" The boy called out, and the man tilted his head up ever so slightly, so that they got a glimpse of his face. It was chalk white, his eyes were deep red, and his nostrils were like slits, like a snake's.  
Lira's breathing was coming in sharp bursts, and she was suddenly very hot, and very cold. "Nice mask he had on, wasn't it, Lira? Lira?"  
Then he was talking to mid-air, because it wasn't a mask.  
Lira had turned and ran, ran and ran and ran until she was out of breath and stumbling over the cobbles, a white blur in the dark.

She was tired, but she didn't feel it because she had one thing to do and that was to run. As she ran, she thought. She knew that she couldn't run fast enough to get to Lily and James', but she could get to Sirius', if she ran.  
So she ran.

Pumpkins lit by candles winked at her from outside of the houses, and her own shadow loomed over her, like she was being chased. In the darkness, tree branches became fingers, reaching towards her, and every house looked like it held horrors. As she ran past the square, past the war memorial which looked like a dagger, pointing menacingly at the sky, and past the shops, which were closed and boarded up like a ghost town, she tripped and fell, skidding her knees and her hands and her face on the cobblestones.  
Stinging erupted across her hands, so she wiped her hands on her torn dress, hissing in pain and wincing as the blood from her hands stained the dress. Peering down quickly to see what she had tripped over, she stumbled backwards, squealing, the darkness distorting the innocent stone into a menacing skull.

Shaking her head, Lira picked up speed again, tearing towards the street where Sirius lived, thanking Merlin for her excellent memory, and skidding to a halt in front of number seventeen, hoping and praying that she wasn't too late.

Disregarding the doorknocker, she banged on the door until an eerie shape appeared behind the glass, looking out at her cautiously. What Lira didn't know was that right then, she looked like a real little ghost girl, her face pale and pinched with fear, white blonde hair streaming down her back like a waterfall, long white cotton dress stained with her own blood.

The door creaked open slightly, and a man peered around the edge of it.  
"Who is it?"  
"It's Lira! Sirius, open the door!"  
Sirius pulled the door open fully and his face instantly contorted with worry.  
"Lira? Are you okay? What's wrong? Is that _blood_?"  
"Sirius, there's no time, Voldemort, he's going to get them, I saw him, Lily and James, you have to get them out of there!"

Now, Sirius Black had never been a cautious sort of man. He usually jumped into things head-first, and only stopped to think when it was too late. However, months in the Order had forced him to be cautious, when placed in an unfamiliar situation, and lots of things here screamed _trap_. But Sirius Black looked into the frantic eyes of the girl that he'd grown to care for, and forgot to be cautious.  
He turned on the spot and Disapparated.

Lira gasped with relief, breath coming in great heaving gasps, and ran inside of the house, pulling the door shut behind her with a loud _slam_. All of the lights were on, which made a great change to the darkness outside, and soothed Lira slightly. She pulled her wand out of her pocket and paced in the hallway, ignoring the fact that she was exhausted, and ran her fingers along the flowers that were engraved on her wand. A loud series of bangs from outside made her whirl around, hairs on the back of her neck standing upright, shivering not just with cold, but with fear.

The living room was bright and welcoming, so Lira walked in and perched on the edge of the sofa, trying to quell the unrest in her mind. It was no use.  
She couldn't believe that she'd forgotten the date, she couldn't believe that she had forgotten that it was Halloween, in 1981, that Voldemort went to kill the Potters. And succeeded, with all but one. Harry had survived that night in 1981, and hopefully they would all survive tonight, not just Harry.  
Because if they didn't, Lira would never forgive herself.

The clock on the wall was ticking ominously, its second hand jolting around and around, and Lira shuddered. A minute passed, and another, Lira began to panic, wringing her hands and pacing up and down, up and down.  
"Come on, Sirius…come on…"  
Trying to calm herself, Lira repeated in her mind, over and over, that Sirius was the bravest, strongest man, aside from James, that she knew, so he would save them.  
He _had_ to.

Lira sat down abruptly, curling her legs up to her chest, ignoring the stinging in her knees and hands. She knew that she had hurt herself, but it wasn't important. The house that had seemed comforting suddenly felt full of dangers, the stairs leading to a creepy, dark upstairs, the kitchen full of places for someone to hide.

A faint _pop_ from the hallway made Lira jump, and she whirled around, hair flying, wand raised, listening intently. There was a quiet squeal, and Lira stepped forwards, biting her lip. Then a familiar voice sounded, laced with worry and concern.  
"Lira? Are you there? Are you okay?"  
Lira gave a shriek and ran into the hallway, where Lily stood, clutching a sleeping Harry.  
On seeing her, Lily flicked her wand so that Harry was levitating, asleep in mid-air and pulled Lira into a bone-crushing hug.  
"Oh Merlin…I ran…I wasn't sure…where's James? And Sirius?"  
"They're coming, they were just grabbing a few things, and they'll only be a minute. Oh Lira…thank you, thank you so much…"  
"I can't believe…I thought I was too late…"  
"But you weren't, honey, you weren't, you saved our lives!"

There were two more faint _pops_ , and then James and Sirius were hugging them too, all of them breathing deeply, giddy with relief.  
"Can't…breathe…" Lira choked out, and they let go, albeit reluctantly.  
"Did you cut yourself?" James pointed at the red stains on her dress, and Lira lifted it up to see the long cut from where she'd fallen over.  
"Yeah, I fell over."  
"Ouch…" James whistled, and pointed his wand at the cut, so that it closed up, leaving the skin unblemished.  
"Here too." Lira held her hands out, palms up, and James did the same as with her knees.

Lily plucked Harry out of mid-air, and rocked him slightly so that he stayed asleep.  
"What happened?"  
"I was out with the boys, and then I saw him, the boys thought he was only dressed up, but I knew it was him. I knew that he was coming for you, he was heading towards your house, and I knew that I wouldn't get to you in time, so then I thought of Sirius…"  
Sirius put his arm around her, rubbing her shoulder comfortingly.  
"You were amazing, love. Just before we Apparated, we saw him. If you had been a minute later, it would have been too late."  
"We can't stay here, Peter knows that we'd come here."  
Lily said, an uncharacteristically angry look on her face.  
"That…" James called Peter something that made say reprovingly,  
"James!"

"That _rat_ …" Lira muttered, clenching her now mended hands, and Sirius snarled under his breath, sounding just like his Animagus at that moment.  
"And _we_ thought that it was Remus…"  
James and Lily looked at Lira, as if expecting her to say I told you so, but she didn't.  
She just sighed.  
"What are we going to do now?"  
"We could go to the Burrow?" Lily suggested, stroking Harry's hair. "Molly wouldn't mind, and seeing as they're part of the Order, they have protective wards."  
"That's a good idea." James looked at Sirius for conformation, and Sirius nodded.  
"Is that okay, Lira?"  
Lira, surprised at being asked for her opinion, just nodded.

"Have you Side-Along Apparated before?" Sirius asked, and Lira shook her head.  
"OK, so it's not the most _comfortable_ mode of transport, I'm going to be honest, but it's very quick, it's over in a few seconds."  
"Alright then." Lira said nervously; she still didn't like the sound of Apparation, but she knew that it was the fastest way of getting them to safety.  
"I'll take Harry," Lily volunteered, and James stepped forwards.  
"OK, Lira, I'll take you. All you've got to do is hold onto my arm, and don't let go until I say so, yeah?"  
"Uh-huh."  
"I'll go first, then."  
Sirius disappeared with a _crack_ , and then James offered his arm to Lira.  
"Ready?"  
Lira took a deep breath, nodded, and grabbed his arm.

As she soon as her fingers closed around his sleeve, they were spinning, and then Lira was being stretched, squeezed and compressed. Her arms and legs were pressing into her side, her eyes were rolling back into her head, and her chest was being squeezed painfully. It couldn't go on for much longer, Lira thought, or she would shrivel away into nothing. Then it stopped.

Lira stumbled, gasping, massaging her stomach, and James rubbed her back soothingly.  
"You alright? It's not my favourite way to travel."  
"Yeah, it's not mine either." Lira gasped, rubbing her neck. When she could breathe properly again, she straightened up, and looked at her surroundings. They were standing in a field, and just in front of them was a rickety house, all topsy-turvy, and painted various shades of brown and maroon.

Lily and Harry appeared next to them with a pop, and Harry was crying; he obviously didn't like Apparation much either. Sirius was only a few feet away, running his hand through his hair, and he turned to face them as they approached.  
"Hello. Not a fan, then, Lira?"  
He chuckled at her still slightly pained expression, and the sound of laughter made them all relax slightly.  
"No. Not really."

They approached the door, and James knocked three times, sharply, and then once more, like it was some kind of code. He did the knocking code again, and the door creaked open slightly, a brown eye peering around the corner of it.  
"Who's there?"  
"It is I, James Potter, with my wife Lily Potter, my best friend, Sirius Black, and our adopted daughter, Lira Munns."  
That made Lira smile, smile for the first time since the joke from earlier.  
"Lily?"  
"Yes, Molly?"  
"What was the first thing you said to me when you found out that I was pregnant?"  
"That there was going to be another amazing redhead in town. What was the nickname I called Gideon and Fabian when they joined the Order?"  
"You couldn't think of any, so you stropped for all of a minute, before calling them Gid and Fab."  
The door creaked open, and a kindly looking plump woman with red hair and dark brown eyes opened the door, frowning worriedly.  
"Are you alright? What's happened?"  
"Could we come in? We need somewhere that You-Know-Voldemort can't come to get us again."  
James asked, and Lira laughed. It was a strange kind of laugh, the kind of laugh that you laugh when you can't believe that you're okay, and you can't believe that no one's hurt, and you can't believe that you can still laugh.

Molly ushered them in, looking worried, and led them over to the sofa.  
"The boys are in bed, and Arthur's on a night shift, he won't be back until morning. What happened? Did He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named find you? What about the Fidelius Charm?"  
"Well, Peter betrayed us, the cowardly…"  
James swore again, and Molly frowned disapprovingly.  
"Peter? But I thought Sirius was your Secret Keeper?"  
"That was what everyone was supposed to think, but we changed it to Peter. We thought he'd be less of a target, that it was the perfect bluff, and he _betrayed_ us."  
James spat, venom filling his voice.  
"Okay, so we'd better talk about this. I have a spare cot, you could put Harry to bed if you want, Lily dear?"  
"That would be great, thanks Molly."

Lily followed Molly up the stairs, and Sirius pulled out his wand.  
"I'll send a message to Remus, let him know that we're here."  
He swished his wand, and a large silvery dog ran around the room once, barking, before disappearing in a cloud of silver mist.

James and Sirius started to discuss what they were going to do with Peter when they got their hands on him, Lira sank down onto the sofa, adrenaline fading.  
"We _trusted_ him! We trusted him, and he betrayed us!"  
"His own stinking skin meant more to him than your entire family."  
" _Our_ family." James corrected, and something flickered in Sirius' eyes. Something happy, something grateful.

A _pop_ outside had James running over to the door to check that it was Remus.  
"Who's there?"  
"It is I, Remus John Lupin, the resident werewolf."  
"What is your name on the Marauders' Map?"  
"Moony. And what is yours, James?"  
"Prongs. Now, come in!"  
James wrenched the door open, and Remus stepped in, coat pulled tightly around him.  
"Is everyone alright?"  
"Yes, everyone is presently alive and kicking."  
"Thank goodness!" Remus sighed with relief, and pulled his coat off. "What happened?"  
"Lira saved our lives."  
Remus looked at Lira in awe, and she widened her eyes.  
"Hang on, it sounds really great when you say it like that, but it really wasn't that heroic."  
"She saw Voldemort and ran from the outskirts of the village to Sirius' to warn him, and he Apparated to warn us. If she hadn't seen him, and if she hadn't have run to get Sirius, Lily, Harry and I would be dead."

Remus looked at the pale, exhausted Lira sitting on the sofa, and went to sit next to her.  
"Sirius was the Secret Keeper though, so how…?"  
"They swapped them over." That was Lira, who was shivering and rubbing her arms to try and warm herself up; the warming charm Lily had placed on her had worn off.  
"You were supposed to think that it was Sirius, it made more sense for it to be Sirius, but they changed it to Peter because he was the less obvious choice." Lira shivered, so James shrugged off his jumper and handed it to her.  
"Here."  
"Thanks!"  
She pulled it over her head, and it swamped her, making her smile.

Remus, Lira noticed, didn't react to the news that they had kept the vital information about the Secret Keepers from him, but she could see that there was something hard in his eyes. James and Sirius started discussing the wards they would need to put around Sirius' house, and Lira turned to Remus, wanting to stop there being some much bitterness in his smile.  
"They thought _you_ were the spy, you know."  
"Yes. I did suspect as much."  
"But I didn't."  
"No?" Remus sounded surprised.  
"No. I knew that you wouldn't betray them like that."  
Lira smiled up at Remus and he smiled down at her warmly, all bitterness gone. Lily walked into the living room, Molly close behind her, and then all of the adults went to sit at the kitchen table. Lira, however, was too comfortable to move, and didn't want to eavesdrop.

Forty-five minutes and a whole load of crying and gasping later, the four friends had managed to explain everything, from the Secret Keeper swapping to their near-miss with Voldemort. Finishing her third cup of tea and sitting back in her chair, Lily looked over to the sofa where Lira was. It didn't take long for Lily to work out that Lira was fast asleep, tired out because it was nearly eleven and she ran almost a mile and all of the adrenaline has gone and she's _exhausted_.

Lira didn't know that James carried her upstairs and put her in Arthur and Molly's bed, and that the four adults stayed awake all night, talking and explaining and sighing with relief, because Lily and James and Harry were _alive_ , still alive, all because of _Lira_. Dumbledore visited, and expressed his concern, and then left because of he was a Headmaster of a school, after all, and couldn't be away for too long and then Remus left, because he had to go. That was okay, Lily said, because they were okay, all of them, and that was what mattered most.

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